"It really isn't that unusual" Power

[S7Michelle]

I’m trying to figure out the best way to build a power for one of my characters, Southern Belle. Southern Belle is a slightly delusional mentalist super-villainess that has both a secret identity and a bad habit of walking around in extremely full skirts and parasols. That is the type of thing that tends to draw notice and make a person just a bit too memorable.

 

Fortunately for Belle, she tends to instinctively use her mental powers (when not focusing on other things) to convince those around her that her actions and appearance “really aren’t all that unusual.” Thus allowing her to go have a nice meal in a restaurant, or walk into a bank without drawing stares and phone calls to the police. And making her landlord and the other people she deals with no more likely to realize that she is in fact a wanted villainess than he would if she was dressed in perfectly normal clothing.

 

Looking through the UNTIL Power Book the closest powers would probably be either psychic invisibility with some modifications or mind control with a set power.

 

The power has to be 60 active points or less. It needs to be something she can have up for long periods of time, so it probably needs to be 0 END. And it needs to be able to affect multiple people.

[Vulcan]

Re: "It really isn't that unusual" Power

 

There is one a GM of mine used for Vampires. "Social Invisibility": Invsible to Sight, Invisible Power Effect. You're not really invisible, just not memorable.

 

There might be a better way to build it with images, though.

[Bloodstone]

Re: "It really isn't that unusual" Power

 

Being noticed all the time based on your appearance is a Distinctive Features disadvantage. Clearly, Southern Belle just doesn't have such a Disad, even though it's obviously quite appropriate

 

Now, if no one can remember her face and such at all, that's a different story.

 

But if you are buying a power to temporarily buy off a Disadvantage, you may be better off just not taking the Disadvantage at all. Otherwise, you may be spending points needlessly.

[casualplayer]

Re: "It really isn't that unusual" Power

 

Why not just get Concealment and Stealth, maybe High Society also, and have a huge bonus to the rolls based on Belle's mental powers?

[Vulcan]

Re: "It really isn't that unusual" Power

 

That works too.

[S7Michelle]

Re: "It really isn't that unusual" Power

 

Being noticed all the time based on your appearance is a Distinctive Features disadvantage. Clearly, Southern Belle just doesn't have such a Disad, even though it's obviously quite appropriate

 

Now, if no one can remember her face and such at all, that's a different story.

 

But if you are buying a power to temporarily buy off a Disadvantage, you may be better off just not taking the Disadvantage at all. Otherwise, you may be spending points needlessly.

 

I'd seriously considered buying her appearance as a distinctive feature disadvantage. But she doesn't always dress this way. Usually its just when she's committing a crime or in the middle of one of her dillusions. So I wasn't quite sure I could justify the Distinctive Features which are pretty much permanent.

 

I suppose part of me is just busy applying logic when I should be thinking mechanics. It just seems like being able to walk out of a bank and into a crowd wearing a hoop skirt and parasol and not stand out more than someone who had say robbed a bank in a black t-shirt and walked into a crowd, is an advantage.

 

I still think I want something in my multipower to make her a bit more forgetable and both the Social Invisibility and the Hightened skills options sound interesting.

[OddHat]

Re: "It really isn't that unusual" Power

 

A few options I'd allow as a GM:

 

1) Take distinctive features. Now, as a custom power, buy off the distinctive features with Costs END. As long as the character pays END, her distinctive features don't apply. SFX is a psychic "Don't Mind Me" field. As it's only 1 END per phase, she can keep it up more or less forever unless long term END rules are in force.

 

2) Invisibility, not vs those with Mental Defense (-1/2), only to prevent people from paying attention, does not apply in combat (-3/4)

 

3) Images, Self Only, Only to make clothing appear "normal", not vs those with mental defense.

[Theron]

Re: "It really isn't that unusual" Power

 

I suppose part of me is just busy applying logic when I should be thinking mechanics. It just seems like being able to walk out of a bank and into a crowd wearing a hoop skirt and parasol and not stand out more than someone who had say robbed a bank in a black t-shirt and walked into a crowd' date=' is an advantage.[/quote']

 

It's really more of a special effect, if she can invoke her powers to make folks not notice it.

 

Remember, it's a superhuman world. I'm assuming that costumed adventurers and malefactors are fairly common. If that's not the case, then my comments are off base, but otherwise, people are more likely to just judge it as par for the course in a world of superheroes and villains.

[mattingly]

Re: "It really isn't that unusual" Power

 

I'd consider Instant Change with Variable Special Effects (+1/2). Her clothing appears to belong.

[Bloodstone]

Re: "It really isn't that unusual" Power

 

I'd seriously considered buying her appearance as a distinctive feature disadvantage. But she doesn't always dress this way. Usually its just when she's committing a crime or in the middle of one of her dillusions. So I wasn't quite sure I could justify the Distinctive Features which are pretty much permanent.

 

Distinctive Features are not permanent. You can have a uniform as a distinctive feature, it's just very easy to conceal.

 

However, in a supers world this tends to be downplayed since virtually everyone dresses garish or looks unusual....

[Tonio]

Re: "It really isn't that unusual" Power

 

As described, it sounds just like a lack of a Distinctive Features Disadvantage. Normally, someone wearing what you described would need DF to represent the fact that people always/usually notice it, and react accordingly. In your case, they don't. In fact, people react to your character like they would to any normal person... to a person without DF.

 

It's like saying your character is covered in flames all the time, except the flames are magical and don't burn. They're just part of the character description, you don't need to buy a power to represent them.

[S7Michelle]

Re: "It really isn't that unusual" Power

 

Thank you for all of the suggestions. Ultimately I went with

 

It really isn't all that unusual: Invisibility to Sight Group, No Fringe (30 points), Invisible Power Effects (Character can be seen just doesn't stand out as unusual or memorable) (+1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END, +1/2) (60 Active Points), Not vs. people with mental defenses (-1/2), Not vs. cameras (-1/4), Does not apply in combat (-3/4) Total Points: 24

 

I can put it in her multipower for two points and it seems like it should reduce her chance of being caught significantly. Being able to blend into a group and just slip away from the heroes or not having to worry quite so much about someone recognizing her and calling the police seems quite worth two points.